The present invention relates to a control system for electrical storage elements of a vehicle, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a control system for controlling power into and out of the electrical storage elements.
Large vehicles (e.g., semi-tractors, trucks, etc.) are commonly used to transport cargo. Existing tractors in a tractor-trailer combination typically include cabins that are conditioned by an air conditioning system. Often, electrical energy from the power source is stored in one or more batteries of the vehicle to provide stored electrical energy for later use when a power source is unavailable. In some vehicles, groups of batteries are provided for supplying power to electrical components of the vehicle. These groups of batteries are often electrically connected to a power source in a parallel relationship.
Typically, existing battery charging control systems charge an entire group of parallel-connected batteries by connecting a single power source to the entire group of batteries. When these batteries have relatively large charge acceptance capacities (i.e., low internal resistance), the current acceptance of the batteries often exceeds the current supplied from the power source. In addition, these conventional control systems control the supply voltage to protect against over-current charging conditions, which can be detrimental to battery life. Often, these conventional control systems do not provide an appropriate initial amount of current to the batteries, limiting the battery life of the batteries.
By charging entire groups of batteries at the same time, conventional battery charging control systems typically necessitate that each of the batteries in the group have the same electrical characteristics (e.g., internal resistance, tolerances, architecture, etc.). When the electric current demand from each of the batteries exceeds the current capacity of the power source that is charging the batteries, the power source and/or the batteries may be damaged or operate inefficiently. Excessive electric current demand from the group of batteries may also provide inadequate charging of the batteries, lowering the electrical storage capacity of the batteries and/or the cycling capability of the batteries.